{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":" Financial Independence, Property, and the Reality of Retirement with Michael Houghton","description":"Michael Houghton returns to the Informed Decisions Podcast seven years after his first appearance to share how his thinking on money, work and property has evolved.   Michael is a personal finance writer, former software developer, FIRE advocate, Irish Independent columnist, and now an active property investor building income and wealth through rental property in Ireland.   In this conversation, Michael explains why financial independence is really about choice, not simply giving up work. He shares how he and his family went from extreme saving and FIRE to a more flexible life built around purposeful work, property income, and long term planning.   Key talking points \u2022 Michael\u2019s journey from New Zealand visitor to living in Ireland for 15 years \u2022 How he and his family pursued FIRE by saving aggressively and working towards financial independence \u2022 Why hitting your number does not always mean you want to stop working \u2022 How he thinks about retirement, purpose, and the value of meaningful work \u2022 Why he sees property as a strong long term wealth building tool \u2022 The role of rental yield, leverage, refinancing, and bank appetite in building a portfolio \u2022 The risks of property investing, including concentration, leverage, insurance, and tenant issues \u2022 How property fits alongside pensions and other investments in an overall financial plan   I hope it helps. ","author_name":"Informed Decisions Independent Financial Planning & Money Podcast","author_url":"https:\/\/www.informeddecisions.ie\/the-blog","html":"